General news

• Labour MP Laura Pidcock denies 'hypocrisy' over Venice trip during Universal Credit debate

  25-10-2017 23:14
  A Labour MP who missed votes in Parliament because she was on holiday in Italy has defended her trip after critics accused her of "shameful hypocrisy".Laura Pidcock took a four-day trip to Venice while MPs debated topics including Universal Credit.The now-representative for North West Durham said she got permission from party whips, and insisted that a debate on the Government's controversial welfare programme was only secured after she left the country.
  
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• Former IRA member jailed for decades-old barracks attack in Germany

  25-10-2017 22:42
  A Northern Ireland man has been jailed for four years in Germany for his role in an IRA attack on a British Army Barracks in Osnabrueck 21 years ago.Identified in Irish newspapers as James Corry, the Belfast-born defendant was convicted of attempted murder for his role in the attack on 28 June 1996.Corry and at least four other accomplices parked a truck with an improvised launch battery outside British barracks in Osnabrueck, in northwestern Germany, and fired three shells - only one of which d
  
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• Hundreds of pumpkins were carved to make this mesmerising stop-motion animation

  25-10-2017 22:27
  Even the music was made using pumpkins – and it’s a joy to watch.
  
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• Missing autistic boy, 9, with heart condition found safe after police appeal

  25-10-2017 21:09
  A nine-year-old autistic boy with a heart condition has been found safe after a missing person appeal by the Met Police.
  
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• David Davis says he ‘expects and intends’ Commons vote on Brexit deal

  25-10-2017 21:02
  David Davis was forced to issue a statement clarifying his own remarks yesterday, after he appeared to suggest parliament may not get a vote on the final Brexit deal until after Britain has left the European Union.A spokesman for the Brexit secretary said the government “expects and intends” to let parliament have its say before Britain leaves, apparently contradicting comments he made just hours earlier.During a two-hour hearing of the Brexit select committee on Wednesday morning, D
  
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• HMRC boss warns up to £450m needed to cope with 'no deal' Brexit

  25-10-2017 20:49
  Britain's tax boss has warned he needs up to £450m in extra funding and 5,000 extra staff to cope with a "no deal" Brexit.Jon Thompson, the chief executive of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said he would ask for "significantly" more money than already allocated to prepare for the "most extreme" divorce.Mr Thompson told the Public Accounts Select Committee he was "reasonably confident" the new system would be ready in time, but that there were "significant risks" and in the worst case scena
  
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• Phones 4U founder accused of bullying former partner over expenses

  25-10-2017 20:43
  Nathalie Dauriac arrives at the high court in London, where she claims wrongful dismissal.Private banker Nathalie Dauriac has told the high court she became scared of her former mentor and business partner John Caudwell, accusing the Phones4U billionaire of bullying her during an investigation into her expenses.Speaking in court on Wednesday, Dauriac said Caudwell sought to intimidate her by making claims about wrongdoing as a pretext to force her out of Signia Wealth, the business they co-found
  
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• Phones 4U founder accused of bullying former business partner over expenses

  25-10-2017 20:43
  Nathalie Dauriac arrives at the high court in London, where she claims wrongful dismissal.Private banker Nathalie Dauriac has told the high court she became scared of her former mentor and business partner John Caudwell, accusing the Phones4U billionaire of bullying her during an investigation into her expenses.Speaking in court on Wednesday, Dauriac said Caudwell sought to intimidate her by making claims about wrongdoing as a pretext to force her out of Signia Wealth, the business they co-found
  
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• Damages for Grenfell fire victims may total just $5 million - Reuters analysis

  25-10-2017 20:39
  The bill for compensating families of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire in London may be as low as 4 million pounds ($5 million), according to several lawyers and a Reuters analysis of how damages laws apply in England.While similar disasters in the United States have led to massive payouts, any compensation for Grenfell would be far lower because English laws offer less generous damages and don't allow punitive claims, even if companies are found criminally responsible, said Brett Dixon
  
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• White House Spin Goes Into Overdrive As Trump Describes Republican 'Love Fest'

  25-10-2017 20:35
  Donald Trump has sought to negate the damage done by two Republican senators who yesterday both gave scathing assessments of the state of his Presidency.
  
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• Heat on Tory MP over his Brexit course request | Letters

  25-10-2017 20:22
  Chris Heaton-Harris MP. ‘I would encourage all colleagues, particularly historians, to send him appropriate course materials.This might at last enable a better informed discussion of current political developments,’ writes Professor Charlotte Rouché.All academics should welcome the interest being expressed by a Conservative party whip in the content of those of our courses concerned with Britain’s relationship with Europe (Universities deplore ‘McCarthyism’ a
  
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• Memo to Michael Bloomberg: here’s the simple reason Britain voted for Brexit | Letters

  25-10-2017 20:21
  Michael Bloomberg during his recent visit to London, where he said Brexit was the ‘single stupidest thing any country has ever done’ apart from the election of Donald Trump as US president.Michael Bloomberg claims he doesn’t understand “why a country that was doing so well wanted to ruin it” (Brexit is worst ever decision, says Bloomberg, 25 October).For large areas of the UK “the same” would be to continue the decades, since Margaret Thatcher, of i
  
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• Press regulator is ‘independent’, you say? That don’t Impress me much | Letter

  25-10-2017 20:19
  Brian Cathcart, a founder of the Hacked Off campaign, attends a press conference in London in 2013.Alasdair Murray is not convinced by Cathcart’s claim that Impress is an independent regulator.Brian Cathcart (Letters, 19 October) describes Impress as an “independent” regulator and the Press Recognition Panel as “a body which is itself independent of government”.
  
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• Apple growers face 'catastrophe' without Brexit labour deal

  25-10-2017 20:12
  The orchard fruit industry faces the risk of a "catastrophe" if a deal on European workers isn't secured within the next year, producers have warned.The chief executive of English Apples and Pears, which represents growers in England, has warned of huge problems for the industry if it cannot guarantee workers to pick the 2019 crop by September 2018.The industry relies on 10,300 seasonal workers to harvest the 300,000 tonnes annual crop, worth £180m, according to an independent study by And
  
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• Sir Michael Fallon: MPs' criticism affecting Saudi Arabia arms sales

  25-10-2017 20:08
  Sir Michael Fallon has criticised MPs for questioning Saudi Arabia's human rights record, suggesting parliamentary scrutiny has prevented arms sales to the kingdom.Asked by the Defence Select Committee why Saudi Arabia hasn't yet signed a deal to buy new Typhoon jets, the Defence Secretary said: "I travelled to Saudi Arabia back in September and discussed progress on the deal with my opposite number, the Crown Prince, and pushed for a statement of intent, as we've had with Qatar.
  
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• Michael Fallon Wants MPs To Stop Criticising Saudi Arabia So We Can Sell Them Weapons

  25-10-2017 20:04
  Michael Fallon has berated MPs who criticise Saudi Arabia, claiming their comments are making it more difficult to sell fighter jets to the country.
  
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• Belfast man jailed in Germany for IRA Osnabrück mortar attack

  25-10-2017 19:18
  James Anthony Oliver Corry, centre, is escorted into court in Osnabrück, on Wednesday.A Northern Irish man has begun a four-year prison sentence in Germany for his part in a Provisional IRA mortar bomb attack on a British army base in the country more than two decades ago.James Anthony Oliver Corry was convicted on Wednesday of attempted murder in relation to bombing of Quebec barracks near Osnabrück in June 1996.
  
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• Sir Bert Massie obituary

  25-10-2017 19:07
  Sir Bert Massie making himself part of a shop window display in Manchester as part of an awareness-raising campaign in 2002, during his time as chairman of the Disability Rights Commission.Sir Bert Massie, who has died aged 68 of cancer, was pivotal to many of the changes of the past 20 years that have improved daily life in the UK for people with disabilities.As chief executive of the former disability charity Radar through the 1990s, Massie fought for accessible buildings and transport and was
  
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• Amid Brexit timetable confusion, UK aims for transition outline by early 2018

  25-10-2017 18:55
  Britain wants an outline agreement with the European Union by the end of March 2018 on the transitional arrangements that will apply temporarily after it leaves the bloc, Brexit minister David Davis said on Wednesday.Davis was addressing confusion caused by Prime Minister Theresa May this week over the exit timetable, but he thenstumbled into a new row about when members of parliament would get to vote on a final deal.May is seeking a so-called implementation period of around two years after Bri
  
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• David Davis forced to confirm Government 'expects' MPs' Brexit vote

  25-10-2017 18:52
  David Davis has been forced to confirm the Government intends to hold a parliamentary vote on the final Brexit deal as he was warned there is a "serious risk" of a legal challenge without doing so.The Brexit Secretary was contradicted by the Prime Minister on Wednesday after he raised the prospect of Britain formally leaving the EU without MPs and peers having had a say on an exit agreement.Theresa May told MPs she is "confident" Brexit negotiations will be concluded in time for the House of Com
  
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• This lamp lights up every time Trump tweets

  25-10-2017 18:41
  It also make thunder and lightning noises.
  
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• UK Flights To The US To Be Subject To Stricter Security Checks

  25-10-2017 18:40
  A US government spokeswoman has said new security screening measures will apply to all flights to America from abroad from Thursday.
  
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• Channel 4 move from London could create 7,500 jobs, report says

  25-10-2017 18:39
  The Channel 4 headquarters in London: a dozen cities and regions are lobbying to provide the broadcaster a new home.Forcing Channel 4 into a full relocation outside of London and making more programmes for the broadcaster outside the capital could create nearly 7,500 jobs and deliver almost £600m in economic benefits, according to a new government report.
  
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• Parachute trial hears Emile Cilliers' wife Victoria was 'out for his blood'

  25-10-2017 18:27
  Victoria Cilliers, 40, who was a parachute instructor, suffered a fractured spine and pelvis, and broken ribs when both her main and reserve parachute failed during a jump in April 2015.In her original police statement, Mrs Cilliers said he was in the toilet for between two and five minutes.In November 2014 - when she realised their marriage was in trouble - she re-wrote her will, leaving the house to the children because Cilliers was "bad with money".
  
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• May overrules David Davis and says MPs will get a vote on Brexit

  25-10-2017 18:20
  May overrules David Davis and says MPs will get a vote on Brexit
  
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• The Impact Weinstein And #MeToo Must Have For Younger Generations

  25-10-2017 17:51
  The fall of Harvey Weinstein after decades of alleged abuse of power and predatory sexual behaviour has brought some positives.
  
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• Scottish Labour leader contender targets high earners with tax plan

  25-10-2017 17:50
  Anas Sarwar is widely believed to be trailing Richard Leonard in the Scottish Labour leadership race.Anas Sarwar, a Scottish Labour leadership contender, has proposed substantial tax increases raising £700m from all higher earners in Scotland in an effort to outflank his Jeremy Corbyn-supporting rival.Sarwar unveiled his policy programme in Edinburgh on Wednesday with a radical proposal to introduce a 50p top income tax rate for all those earning more than £100,000, in part to fund t
  
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• Man kicked onto tram tracks in attack

  25-10-2017 17:50
  A man was left shaken but not injured after he was kicked onto tram tracks in Manchester. Police are looking for three suspects.
  
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• Towie star's ex sprayed acid 'to stop men spiking drinks', court hears

  25-10-2017 17:46
  The ex-boyfriend of The Only Way is Essex's Ferne McCann has admitted dousing clubbers with acid but insisted he thought it was a date rape drug.Arthur Collins, 25, the father of the reality star's unborn child, also told a court of how he and Ms McCann were "really happy" and broke the news of the pregnancy at a family barbecue hours before the incident.Mr Collins claimed he did not know the bottle contained a corrosive substance when he threw its contents two or three times in the air in the e
  
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• Qatar 'to introduce' minimum wage for workers

  25-10-2017 17:16
  Qatar employs more than two million-strong foreign workers, many of whom are helping with the construction of the World Cup stadiums
  
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• Police hunt three people after man kicked onto tram tracks in Manchester

  25-10-2017 17:15
  Footage has emerged of the moment a man was kicked off a tram platform in Manchester.The 23-year-old, who was also threatened with a metal bar and wine bottle, was left shaken but managed to flee with no serious injuries.Just minutes later, another man was beaten with a metal bar and police are looking for a man and two women in connection with both attacks.
  
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• Elsie Scully-Hicks: Adoptive father accused of toddler's murder breaks down in court

  25-10-2017 17:12
  Elsie Scully-Hicks died four days after being taken to the University Hospital of Wales in May 2016 with bleeding on the brain, retinal bleeding in both eyes, a skull fracture and fractures to three ribs and her leg.Matthew Scully-Hicks, who denies murder, had been looking after the toddler when she collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.Giving evidence at Cardiff Crown Court, the 31-year-old sobbed as he described what Elsie had been like.
  
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• UK ministry says parliament will vote on any deal before Brexit

  25-10-2017 17:10
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Brexit ministry said on Wednesday parliament will vote on the final deal with the European Union before the country has left the bloc, clarifying an earlier statement by its minister that politicians may be denied a vote until after it has left.
  
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• Cost of energy in Britain is too high, independent review finds

  25-10-2017 17:05
  The cost of energy in Britain is too high and is higher than necessary to meet the country's climate change targets, an independent review has found.The review, by Dieter Helm, professor of economic policy at Oxford University, put forward proposals on how to reduce costs in the entire chain of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply.The review, commissioned by the government in August, said the prices of oil, gas and coal had fallen significantly since late 2014, contrary
  
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• BBC pleads with UN over Iran’s crackdown on journalists

  25-10-2017 17:02
  Fardad Farahzad, a presenter for BBC Persian, prepares to read the news.The BBC’s director general has accused Iran of “unprecedented collective punishment” as the corporation pleaded with the UN over crackdowns on Iranian employees of its London-based Persian service.Iranian authorities have imposed an asset freeze on at least 152 BBC Persian journalists and former contributors, preventing them from conducting financial transactions or selling properties in their homeland beca
  
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• BBC appeals to UN over Iran’s crackdown on journalists

  25-10-2017 17:02
  Fardad Farahzad, a presenter for BBC Persian, prepares to read the news.The BBC’s director general has accused Iran of “unprecedented collective punishment” as the corporation appealed to the UN over crackdowns on Iranian employees of its London-based Persian service.Iranian authorities have imposed an asset freeze on at least 152 BBC Persian journalists and former contributors, preventing them from conducting financial transactions or selling properties in their homeland becau
  
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• This carved pumpkin is peak 21st century horror

  25-10-2017 17:01
  One thing which won’t rise from the dead this Halloween is your dead phone battery.
  
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• England beat Brazil to reach Under-17 World Cup final

  25-10-2017 16:55
  England have beaten Brazil 3-1 to reach the final of the Under-17 World Cup in India.Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster scored a hat-trick after Brazil equalised through Wesley in the first half.England played Brazil after beating the USA on Saturday when Brewster also was a key player in a 4-1 win.
  
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• Albert Einstein’s ‘Formula For Happiness’ Sells For £1.19m

  25-10-2017 16:54
  A scrawled ‘formula for happiness’ Albert Einstein wrote in lieu of a tip has sold for £1.19m.
  
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• MPs launch inquiry into the safety of e-cigarettes

  25-10-2017 16:24
  MPs have begun an inquiry into the health effects of e-cigarettes to see how the law could address "significant gaps" in existing research.Smoking is believed to cost the NHS roughly £2bn a year, although some warn it could be as much as £5bn, and approximately 80% of the packet price for cigarettes is made of taxation designed to counteract this cost.The Royal College of Physicians issued a report last year stating that public health policy should encourage tobacco users to switch t
  
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• 'Dishonesty' redefined as U.S. gambler loses $10 million UK lawsuit

  25-10-2017 16:24
  The ruling means that juries in criminal cases in England will no longer have to consider whether defendants realised that what they did would be seen as dishonest by reasonable, honest people.The question will be whether the conduct was dishonest by those standards, regardless of the defendant's perception.The legal battle, a civil not criminal one, hinged on whether the actions of professional U.S. poker player Phil Ivey during games of Punto Banco at the Crockfords casino in London over two d
  
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• Gambler Phil Ivey Loses Supreme Court Battle Over £7.7 Million Winnings

  25-10-2017 16:22
  A gambler branded the “Tiger Woods of poker” has lost a Supreme Court challenge over £7.7 million he claims he won honestly at a London casino.
  
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• Cambridge academics seek to 'decolonise' English syllabus

  25-10-2017 16:22
  A group of academics at the University of Cambridge is considering how to implement a call from undergraduates to “decolonise” its English literature syllabus by taking in more black and minority ethnic writers, and bringing post-colonial thought to its existing curriculum.It is a good thing that there should be healthy dialogue between university academics and their students, and that their views should be taken seriously,” said Bethan Marshall, a senior lecturer in English ed
  
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• PM contradicts David Davis over MPs' vote on final Brexit deal

  25-10-2017 16:21
  Theresa May has expressed her confidence MPs will get a vote on a final Brexit deal before Britain leaves the EU - despite her Brexit Secretary suggesting that might not be the case.The Prime Minister insisted Brexit talks will end "in time" for a parliamentary vote to be held on the final divorce agreement before the UK's departure date in March 2019.Asked by Labour's Stephen Kinnock how it would be "possible to have a meaningful vote on something that's already taken place", Mrs May admitted t
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn to take part in Gogglebox charity episode

  25-10-2017 16:17
  Jeremy Corbyn follows in the footsteps of Kate Moss, Steve Coogan and Noel Gallagher in appearing on the show.Jeremy Corbyn will take his place on the sofa for a celebrity edition of Channel 4’s Gogglebox for Stand Up To Cancer next week.The special episode will air on 3 November as part of the broadcaster’s efforts to support the fundraising drive.
  
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• Bank of England chief is 'enemy of Brexit', says Jacob Rees-Mogg

  25-10-2017 16:17
  Jacob Rees-Mogg said Carney ‘quite disgracefully intervened in the referendum campaign, by giving forecasts one way or another’.Conservative backbench MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has described the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, as an “enemy of Brexit”.The Eurosceptic MP, whose appearances at the Conservative conference in Manchester last month drew large crowds, said Carney had been “consistently wrong” about the economic impact of the EU referendum.
  
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• Care sector faces 'devastating' back-pay crisis

  25-10-2017 15:52
  The UK residential care sector faces a "devastating" crisis over a six-year back pay bill for overnight shifts, providers have warned.The Government has delayed enforcing the back pay requirement until the end of October, and said it is working to "establish how providers will affect vulnerable people's care".
  
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• MP regrets 'academic enquiry' into how UK universities teach Brexit - minister

  25-10-2017 15:38
  A member of parliament who sparked censorship fears when he asked universities for details of how they teach Brexit was misinterpreted and regrets the request, Britain's minister for universities Jo Johnson said on Wednesday.Chris Heaton-Harris had sent university heads a letter asking them to supply the names of professors teaching European affairs "with particular reference to Brexit" along with copies of their syllabus and links to online lectures.
  
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• Theresa May and David Davis at odds over vote on final Brexit deal

  25-10-2017 15:37
  The Brexit secretary, David Davis, has said parliament might only be able to vote on the final deal with the European Union once the UK has officially exited the bloc in March 2019, though Theresa May later reiterated she expected MPs to vote to ratify the deal.Asked by the Labour MP Seema Malhotra when he envisaged parliament would be able to vote on the future relationship with the EU once a deal had been concluded, Davis said discussions could go on until the final minute on the final day of
  
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• Davis: MP's could miss final Brexit vote

  25-10-2017 15:30
  Davis: MP's could miss final Brexit vote
  
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